


I start to wonder why the lights all fade away

by torigates



Category: How I Met Your Mother
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-04
Updated: 2013-11-04
Packaged: 2017-12-31 12:45:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1031844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torigates/pseuds/torigates
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lily came over to the apartment when Ted was out. She sat Robin down on the couch and took a deep breath.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I start to wonder why the lights all fade away

 

  
Lily came over to the apartment when Ted was out. She sat Robin down on the couch and took a deep breath.

Robin started to panic.

“You know I love you, right?” Lily asked.

Robin nodded, her panic rising. “That is a thing that I know,” she confirmed.

“And you know how important your friendship is to me,” Lily continued. “How much I value you.”

Robin nodded. Lily took another deep breath. Robin wondered if someone was dying.

“I’m pregnant.”

Robin sat in shocked silence and let Lily’s news wash over her. It wasn’t as if the news came out of the blue. She and Marshall had been trying for a long time now, and Robin knew it was something they both wanted. She shook herself out of her stupor and immediately leaned forward and grabbed Lily in a hug.

Lily’s arms were tight around her shoulders, and their cheeks were pressed together. Robin felt sudden tears spring to her eyes, and was shocked at her reaction. She blinked furiously, keeping them at bay. “Lil,” she said. “I am so happy for you. Congratulations.”

Lily pulled back and smiled hesitantly. “You’re okay with this?” she asked.

Robin made a face at her. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m thrilled.” She smiled again. “You’re going to be a _mom_.”

Lily sat back on the couch. “I know,” she said. “I can’t fucking believe it.”

Robin laughed. It was such an inherently _Lily_ thing to say. She knew things between them would be fine no matter what. Lily wasn’t like Jessica, and just because she was going to have a baby didn’t mean anything between them would change.

The two of them sat in quiet disbelief for a few moments, before Robin got up and walked into the kitchen. She came back with two glasses of apple juice, and handed one to Lily. “To your future offspring,” she toasted.

Lily grinned and clinked her drink against Robin’s. They smiled at each other.

“So listen,” Lily said. “Marshall and I haven’t talked about it yet, but there’s no question. You’ll be the godmother?”

Robin smiled, and this time there was no denying the tears. She nodded wordlessly, and hugged Lily again. When they separated the two women wiped at their eyes.

“Pregnancy hormones,” Lily said.

“They must be contagious,” Robin said with a watery chuckle.

Lily and Marshall were going to have a _baby_.

 

 

 

++

 

 

 

Marshall and Lily formally told everyone that night at MacLaren’s. Ted whooped with joy and patted Marshall on the back, before turning to Lily and picking her up in a crushing hug.

Robin watched as Barney groaned and grumbled and complained that it was just another step towards death, but she could see the way his mouth kept turning up at the edges, see the smile in his eyes.

She saw Barney squeeze Lily’s hand over the table when he thought no one was looking. She grinned and nudged Ted. He rolled his eyes fondly.

As the night rolled to a close, she watched the way Barney turned down one offer after another, before getting into a cab and heading home alone. He hadn’t given up completely on sleeping his way through the female population, but Robin had noticed a definite decrease in the number of women he took home. She wondered what that meant, if anything.

Lily and Marshall climbed into their own cab, and she watched fondly at the way Marshall held the door open for her, and helped her into the vehicle. He held her arm as she got in, his hand sure at the small of her back.

Ted turned to her when they were gone. “Want to walk?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said.

He held out his arm, and she took it.

They walked down the block in companionable silence. The night air was cool, and she pressed herself a little closer to Ted’s warmth.

“I always knew Marshall and Lily would have kids before me,” Ted said suddenly.

Robin looked up at him.

“I mean, they’ve been together forever, that’s just a given that they were going to get married and have kids before I did. I always knew that.”

“But?” Robin asked.

Ted sighed. “I’m so happy for them,” he said. “I really, really am. They want this so much, and they deserve it. I just,” he paused. “I guess I just thought they wouldn’t have so much of a head start.”

Robin nodded and squeezed his arm. She and Ted had always been on completely separate pages, and even when they had wanted the same things, they had wanted them in different ways.

For a moment there, Robin had wanted to give Ted everything he wanted, and more, and even though most days now she woke up thankful that things hadn’t worked out between them romantically, sometimes she felt that ache deep in her chest. The one that reminded her she wasn’t getting any younger, wasn’t getting any better at picking the right men, wasn’t any closer to figuring her shit out.

Ted sighed and ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

“I’m just sick of telling myself things will work out eventually,” he said. “I am so bored with that.”

She slid her arm around his waist and squeezed. “I know,” she said.

They turned and headed back towards their apartment. “Still, though,” she said. “A baby.”

“A _baby_ ,” Ted said. “We still get high semi-regularly. How are any of us fit to be parents?”

Robin laughed. “They don’t make you write a test,” she said.

“Marshall and Lily are going to be amazing,” he said.

“They are,” she agreed. Her arm was still around his waist, and he had slung his around her shoulders.

“I just want to get there,” he said with a sigh.

“You will,” Robin promised. “You will get there and you’ll be just as great as Marshall and Lily and make everyone sick with jealousy and envy just like they do.”

He smiled at that.

“Do you ever wonder about our hypothetical children?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Robin admitted.

Ted seemed surprised.

“Of course I do,” she said. “You were and are a huge part of my life, Ted. Of course I think about where our lives could have gone together.”

He nodded and took her words in. Robin kept walking, stepping away from him. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her in for a hug. They stood together in the middle of the street for a long moment, until finally Ted kissed her temple. “I really, really love you,” he said. “You know that right?”

She shrugged. “I guess you’re okay too.”

He grinned and shoved her.

Lying awake later, Robin marvelled over the existence of Marshall and Lily’s future child, her future godchild. They had created a whole brand new person. It was hard to believe sometimes that they were at this stage in their lives, that they were grownups.

Most days she just felt like she was barely moving forward.

Soon, there would be a new member of their gang, and then—who knew. Things would change, and evolve, as they always did, with or without children.

When Lily put her son into Robin’s arms, she smiled down at the tiny human, and thought things were going to be amazing.

Beside her, Barney whispered “Legendary.” No one groaned.


End file.
